Keywords

Self-portraits, way of the butterfly, a Journey towards transformation, in-between, burning kimono, kim sooja, daruma, yoko ono, mountain and ocean, coco fusco, multimedia art, performance art, yuken teruya, marry me, mail order bride, japanese orphans in china, painter, poems, arahmaiani, butterfly origami, tori gate, butterfly woman, croched ody suit, installation, calligraphy, gutai art, japanese neo-dada, ushio shinohara, butoh, sankai juku, crane wife, butterfly sphere, identity, multiculturalism, globalism, feminist art.

Abstract

It has not been easy for me to talk about myself or describe my feelings or thoughts. Coming from Japan, a collective society, we typically are not raised to do so. Throughout the MFA program at UCF, I have shared my feelings and thoughts through my work. It is important to discuss and inform others of our cultural similarities and differences so that we may gain a better understanding of each other. This process has helped me grow not only on an artistic level, but also on a personal level. My journey towards integration has led me to a meaningful studio practice, which has allowed my work to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern artistic sensibilities. At the beginning of the MFA program, my mother sent many boxes of origami from Japan. As I started incorporating my mother’s origami into my work, I found myself identifying with the origami butterfly. My realization is that the person I am now is not the person I was when I began this journey. My wish for you, the reader, is to go along with me as I tell you the story of my transformation.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2015

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Mendoza, Ilenia Colon

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Visual Arts and Design

Degree Program

Emerging Media; Studio Art and the Computer

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005641

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005641

Language

English

Release Date

5-15-2015

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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